Project Flower Child
by Cotton Picker
Summary: Hanako Saranson, child of a famous American actor and a highprofile Japanese chef, returns from studying in the U.S. to the Ouran Private Institue and finds many things anew new love, new friends, and new secrets to name a few...[On Hiatus]
1. Madmen

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, ect ect.

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I was sopping wet from the waist down, and as I hurried into school I heaved a sigh. "What a fabulous first day of school." I said laced with sarcasm as I rung out the hem of my yellow skirt. Certainly, I didn't expect for there to be a downpour, and I only had a thin raincoat that did nothing for my lower body. I surely didn't want to ruin my uniforms—they were prettier than the horrible plaid I had worn during my trip in the states. I used to attend Ouran back in elementary school. For my final year in middle school, I was sent to go back to the states to live with my father. As I attended St. Angelique's Prepatory Academy I was able to perfect on my English and be with my father, a famous actor, while living the lap of American luxury. But now, I am back in Japan, and that means I'm back in Ouran for high school. "Only the best for my little flower!" That is what my father always tells me. 

Joy.

I kind of don't look really Ouran-y, at least in my opinion. I'm over 5'5" and my feet are a size eleven in American shoes, so in Japan they would be about…size twenty-seven and a half? Anyways, they kind of…stick out from my long—yet a little thick—legs. My black hair goes a little past my shoulders, and it falls in slightly frizzed curls. I wear electric pink wire rimmed glasses that sometimes slide down my small button nose. "Hello, nice to see you again." I put on a small smile on my round face to a passing student. I should try to make a good impression. Now and then, don't know whether I should listen to my mother or not about these things.

My mother's a chef that owns a high-profile restaurant. It's sort of the family profession for her side, only she wasn't expected to become somewhat of a celebrity herself. My dad…was never expected to go into show business. His parents wanted him to work in the medical field. I assume he did, in a way; he once guest starred on one of those hospital dramas.

But that's enough about them. Back to my story.

My name is Hanako Saranson. My father is American actor Paul Saranson, and my mother is chef-to-the-stars Mako Honda.My family's money, combined with my smarts, has gotten me into the Ouran Private Academy. Yes, although I can be a bit spacey and forgetful at times I can shine when I have to! I am in my first year, and barely made it into Class A—for the moment. The funny thing with having a family full of "stars" is that any one of them could fizzle out at any moment, and with their fame goes their money. I'm trying to keep that in mind because I've come to terms with reality. However, it's kind of hard; I'm part of a wealthy family, and going to this school full of other affluent people doesn't exactly help. With exquisite lunches and even ornate washrooms, I can't forget how much I've got in my purse.

Which reminds me, I've heard of a particular new student. I think we should get acquainted; the once familiar halls I used to roam are now oh so new to me.

With that notion, I have decided to explore the Ouran School!

----

The bells rang and notified us for our lunch. Sometimes, my mother would pack me my own bento box but she decided to let me choose this year. I scanned the masses of students happily eating their fancy lunches. I reached into my backpack (a rarity in this school, most students carry a school approved briefcase of sorts) and took out a sandwich bag filled with peanuts I had been saving from the plane rides. I had been snacking little by little between each class so I wouldn't over eat when it came time for lunch—brilliant, no? My mother said to pace yourself with small snacks, and thanks to my big breakfast (I had requested something more Western, so she had made me fluffy waffles) I still had some nuts to spare. I also plan on joining some extracurricular clubs as well to keep my hands out of trouble…Oh! There's someone that brought their lunch.

I made my way over to that young man with his lunch from home. I had come with that answer easily, he may have had a feminine face; but his bare chest had lead me to believe he was indeed a boy. "Hello." I greeted him with a smile. "Are you a new student here?"

"Ah, yes. I'm Fujioka Haruhi." He looked up and smiled lightly. I arched my eyebrows and put some peanuts in my mouth before I could say anything stupid. He was very good at making me blush. Was it his job, I wonder…?

_crunch crunch_

"So, uh, what are your favorite subjects, Fujioka?" I started off, trying to strike conversation.

"I enjoy English and History class." He said, eating his food in a somewhat dainty manner. At least, that's what I thought.

And then they arrived.

Madmen.

Well, good looking madmen.

"There you are my daughter!" A blond hair blue eyed boy approached us and sat at our table. He looked older than we did…maybe a second year student?

"Fujioka's your…daughter?" I sealed my bag and put it in my backpack. So this Haruhi character really was a woman? She didn't look like one, more like a flat paper doll, cute nonetheless.

The second year blinked twice, and then laughed a little. "No, no. Haruhi is like a daughter to me. And I am like his father to him. My host club, we are like a big, happy family. I am the Daddy, Suoh Tamaki, pleased to make your acquaintance. And you are?"

My, my. We're not in Florida anymore, are we?

Before I could utter a sound, a dark haired boy in sleek glasses stood behind Suoh. "This is Saranson Hanako. She attended school here from elementary up until she left to America to finish up her last year of middle school. She's in class 1-A…her parents are celebrities."

My face was a pale hue of pink. I could admit to my dad being a celebrity, but my mother is just a chef. I was suddenly finding myself embarrassed. I may know her only as mom, but the country knew her as Mako-chan from her cooking television show. "My mother's a chef, not a celebrity…" I said in defense. But really, what did I have to defend? My mother was somewhat of a star, I guess. "How did you find all this out?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you." He smirked devilishly as his glasses gleamed with a spark. Remind me not to upset this guy.

Then, a small boy accompanied by a tall man joined our little table. "Haru-chan! Your friend's mom is Mako-chan?! She makes such delicious cakes…" Now the small boy, I remember seeing. I've only spotted the boy once; he was happily eating a whole cake by himself, down to the little roses made of icing. Even at mom's place, this man was with him. I looked up at his silent face. Very somber. Looks like the kind of guy that you might not want to upset either. He's most likely in his final year. "I'm Mitsukuni Haninozuka, and this is Takashi Morinozuka!" The small boy introduced himself. "We're third years."

Mitsukuni looked quite young, but Takashi could fit the role. He's just about as tall as my father.

Lastly, two twins with blazing red hair joined our crowded table.

I remember them! They're the Hitachiin twins from History class.

"Haruhiiii…" They chimed simultaneously. "Who's your friend?" One with hair parted to the right asked him. "Isn't she in our class? The foreigner?" The one with hair parted to the left asked her. "Her hair is wiry." The two of them said in concert. "You should straighten it."

I looked down at the table to hide my face. My hair wasn't that bad, was it? Coming from mixed backgrounds has helped my hair be a bit more tamed than it could have been. My mother's Asian blood made it so. Anyways, this lunch had turned out to be quite…exciting, to say the least. But I had one question to ask.

----

This whole host club was a new subject to me. I repeated the term to the 'man of the family' in my purest English. "Host-club?"

Suoh smiled with a sparkle as he mirrored my words in English as well. "Yes. A host club," The father of the family started off.

"It is where we seven handsome men with time on their hands can spend time with ladies with idle time as well." As soon as Suoh finished his explanation, the bell rang clearly and loudly.

"If you'd ever like to visit us, we're located in the third music room." The host club king beamed again. I must be going crazy; it's as if there are roses swirling around everywhere. "See you!" He bid me a good-bye in English, and disappeared with the rest of the lot in another poof of rose petals.

"Oh? It looks like Fujioka forgot something…a case for his contacts?" I took the small case and slipped it into my backpack. I might make a little commute to the host club after all. I just hope there aren't too many roses. For a girl named for flowers I can get a bit watery eyed.

The host club…my overall opinion of them?

Like I stated before, good-looking madmen.

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**A/N: **Well? How was it? This is my first OHSHC fanfiction, so I hope I did alright. Ah, well reviews are much appreciated. Thank you very much! 


	2. A Field Trip

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, ect ect.

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"Finally, it's over…just in time for dismissal." I looked outside of the window in my last class for the day as the bell chimed. Puddles blotched the campus, and clouds still dotted the sky. It wasn't exactly the Sunshine State, but at least the rain had stopped.

"I should really return these." I was talking to myself as I caught the contacts case in my hand and threw it up again. "But I'm kind of scared of what's inside of that music room. I don't think I'm going to run into a choir or somethin'…" I stood in front of a large pair of doors.

Should I go in?

Or shall I stay and wait until Fujioka leaves the room to head home?

I'll never know what it's like inside until I try it…

I knocked twice on a large door, and it swung open. "Ack!" I exclaimed in surprise. Not only did the door swing open for me, but more petals flew into my face as I saw the host club in all of their glory.

They were dressed in their standard uniforms, only they seemed much more elegant…more attractive?

Get a grip, Hanako. I'm here for one reason and one only.

The lot of them all greeted me in unison. "Welcome to our club." They said with beaming perfect faces. Faces so perfect they could only come from some work of fiction, like in a manga book. "I…I'm here to see Fujioka, if that's alright with him."

The king chuckled airily. "Oh, it must be your first time." He could tell by the way that I spoke. Hikaru and Kaoru swapped glances and snickered to themselves. "Now, now, you two." Kyoya scolded gently, to remind them that Saranson was a paying customer.

Haruhi Fujioka recognized my face from our lunch period. "Oh, hello there Saranson-san. It's nice to see you again. Would you like a seat?" He looked at a comfy little sitting; two plush red chairs with a stylish little coffee table in between us. On top of the table was a small plate of pastries and a long stemmed rose in water.

"Um, Fujioka?"

"Yes?"

"I wanted to return this." I stated firmly before my heart came before my mind. I took his contacts case from my backpack and gently set them down on the table. "You forgot this at lunchtime, and I wanted to return it." All right! I didn't crash and burn, like I had expected.

"Ah, thank you very much, Saranson-san."

Then we sat there silently. I wasn't going to gawk over Fujioka like the other women in here did to the host of their choice. Or, at least, I tried not to. I've seen the fans that would fuss over my father even when he only went out to buy a decent cup of coffee. It may be on a smaller scale, but when I saw those girls gushing over the host club it reminded me of those annoying fans. I find that unbecoming.

I could tell it wasn't very often that a person would enter the host club just to sit there and return a favor. I could feel the other students' eyes glancing at me.

Tamaki exchanged looks with Kyoya, and when his customers weren't looking whispered to him. "Mommy, Saranson is just sitting there with Haruhi…its making daddy nervous…"

Kyoya pulled out a small notebook and smirked to himself. "Don't worry, Tamaki. She is a paying customer, just like everyone else is. They aren't even talking."

I may have not heard most of their conversation but I did hear the words 'paying customer'.

"Fujioka…I've got to be going now. I'll talk to you later; I don't want to take up your time." I politely excused myself after finishing up a crème filled pastry. "I'll see you in class tomorrow."

For a rich person, I'm quite careful with my money. My mother wants to teach me to be responsible with cash, and she has given me a part time waitress job at her restaurant. Yes, I do get paid, and I make a fair amount of money in tips. Since I don't want to risk falling to the temptation of credit card dependency and debt, I use cash more often and my salary goes into my on-hand wallet. In other words; if it doesn't involve school, housing, clothes, or food, I'm paying for it.

Of course, what's the fun in wealth if I don't use it every now and then? So I treat myself to something nice monthly.

And as I left the third music room, I left my occasional indulgence there as well.

**----**

We didn't have a stretch limo, oh no, that's just asking people to stare at you. Ours is the size of one of those clunky Hummers, and serves its purpose well. We have a driver, and a nice amount of space in the back. I climbed into the back seat with my mother and strapped myself in. The black leather upholstery was comforting, to say the least. It was almost eleven at night, and I was ready to crash.

"Aww, you look upset, what's wrong with my flower child?" 'Mako-chan' asked me with concern "Is everything okay at school?"

"It's nothing really." I said as my eyes were focused in my lap. "I'm kind of upset that I spent my indulgence money on the silly new host club. All I was doing was returning something to a new friend of mine."

Mother's eyes glistened with delight. It seems the only words she had heard were 'new friend'.

"It's your first day and you made a friend already? How wonderful!" She was pretty happy about me and Fujioka, even though we're just barely friends. "Tell me all about your new friend, dear." She leaned in like a teenage girl wanting the scoop on the latest gossip.

"Well, his name is Fujioka. I don't know him too well, but he seems nice. Also, he's a part of the new host club along with his crazy friends—but he himself seems normal. I really don't know why he is though. But he's good at what he does. He lost his contacts case, so I returned it to him. That's how I spent my money at that club today after school."

My mom leaned back in her chair and sighed contently. She must be relived to see that I'm not alone at Ouran. "How about you invite Fujioka and his friends over after class tomorrow? You can study together, and I'll even bring you home some snacks from my show!" Mother was utterly delighted; this news just brightened up her day. I couldn't just beat down her spirits. After the divorce, she focused her life around her one and only Hanako. When I was happy, so was she. When she was sad, so was she.

"Oh, alright. I'll invite him over tomorrow. And you don't need to cook us anything if you don't want to. We can manage on our own." The limousine pulled into the driveway and I inhaled the scent of the so very comforting leather.

My estate would soon harbor six maniacs.

Oh, and Fujioka Haruhi.

I must be out of my mind.

**----**

"Hey, Fujioka!" I called out to the boy. "Can I talk to you for a second?" School was over, and as of now the club was closed for the day. I didn't have money to spare, so I waited outside like I should have yesterday.

"Oh, Saranson-san. How are you?" He asked courteously.

"I'm well, thank you." I smiled warmly. "I don't mean to impose, but…my mother is ecstatic that I'm making new friends…and she wanted to invite some of them over to house to eat or study or whatever. I know we haven't really known each other for that long; but she was really enthusiastic about it …" I shut myself up before I rambled on any longer. "I'm not forcing you to go. Do whatever you'd like"

Fujioka smiled politely. I suppose I could go for a bit, Haruhi pondered. Hanako seemed like a nice girl; it couldn't hurt, right? "Alright, are we going now?"

"Haruhi! You're still here?" A blissful boy called out from the entrance and out into the front of the school. "Should daddy walk you home?"

Oh great, JUST what I needed—the king of the host club and his loyal subjects. Ohtori and the rest of the lot filed out behind Suoh. The small boy third year waved at us. "Haru-chan, Hana-chan! Hiya!"

Okay, since when was I 'Hana-chan'?

"Oh? Saranson-san, where are you taking my daughter? On a date?!" Tamaki Suoh asked, as if I was a famous starlet being prodded by paparazzi.

"Uh, no sempai, Fujioka was just going to come over to my place and…if you would like, you and the group could join us." I'm sure he would jump at the chance to follow his purposed daughter around whenever he could. However, I felt like I needed an extra bonus. "My mother is baking a nice cake for everyone."

Mitsukuni's eyes lit on fire with a desire for sweets. "Mako-chan baked a cake! Takashi, Takashi, can we go?" The tall man with the small boy on his shoulders spoke. "Ah."

"Then it's settled!" Tamaki announced loud and clearly for everyone to take notice of. "The host club is going on a 'field trip' to the Honda-Saranson estate!" The aromatic scent of roses hit the air, and I could hear dramatic and lively music playing as if this was a television show.

Mitsukuni cheered on top of Takashi's shoulders. "Yay! Mako-chan is making us a cake! Just like on television! I wonder if she hums her cooking song…"

It was at that moment in time that I had just realized how truly batty this host club really was.

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**A/N:** Oh goody, reviews! That makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I hope you enjoyed this chapter so far; the next one will be filled with host club shenanigans! Thank you so much, reviews are much appreciated! Bye bye!


	3. Cooking is so Fun

**A/N: **YAY! Seven reviews! I never have gotten this much! Thank you, thank you, and thank you. But anyways, this is my third chapter. I was wondering if I should put in a pairing. Who do you think Hanako should be paired up with? I want to hear from YOU, my fair readers! Thank you, again. Enjoy!

Oh, and I use names and ect from the English OHSHC manga

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, ect ect

I sighed, realizing what I had just done. "Okay, okay, everyone get in." I said, piling the club into the back of my vehicle. Mitsukuni sat on Takashi's lap and Kyoya sat somewhat estranged from the rest of the group. Before I could get inside, Kaoru and Hikaru took Haruhi by one arm each and lead him into the back. "We'll all sit together, nice and snug," The twins said in tune. "Because we're all in the same class."

I smiled at this, me also being in the same class, and was about to go inside with them when I turned to see Suoh off to the distance, aggravated and sullen due to the teasing.

Oh, it was just a gimmick between the four of them.

"Well here it is. My so called estate." I said awkwardly as I lead the host club inside my home. It's at times like these I wonder what in the world compelled me to invite them.

"It's somewhat small." Hikaru noted as he took in a good look from the foyer. My 'estate' was fairly large for just my mother and me. We barely had visitors over; so it never occurred to me about the size.

Our living room had a very modern feel to it, like the rest of the house. It was full of a black and silver color combination. The sleek sofa and two matching armchairs were made of the same comforting black leather as in the limousine, and the coffee table was made of out smooth chrome. A plasma screen television was mounted on the wall above the glas screen gas powered fireplace that could be lit with a simple on/off switch. On top of the mantle lay a series of DVDs, and strangely, one outdated video tape for a VCR. The carpeting was a pure, clean white and the walls were a crisp, silvery gray. Decorating the walls were a series of portraits and photographs from different moments in time.

"Well, um, get comfortable, I guess…" I suggested, I guess I'm not a good hostess myself. The club looked around and sat down.

Then was that ever so familiar silence.

----

"Children! I don't hear anyone enjoying themselves…!" A chirpy voice called out from the kitchen, carrying a tray full of sweets. My mother emerged with a warm smile and fresh baked goods.

"Mako-chan!" Mitsukuni's eyes widened at the sight of Ms. Honda, then at the tray she brought with her. "Mako-chan…I love you…!" And as he was about to lunge toward the tray set down on the coffee table before him; Mori kept him gently restrained. "T-Takashi…" He started to snivel.

"Mitsukuni…be wary of your sweet tooth." He reminded his cousin about the last time the sweets gave him a major toothache.

My mom was such a sweet woman, sweeter as the strawberry cake with butter cream icing set down on the table. She was a short little woman with almond brown eyes lit with happiness. Makoto was about five foot two, and was skinny with little curves—pretty much skin, bone, and muscle. Her long black hair had faint red highlights and was tied up in a loose bun away from her face. She was just wearing her house clothes; a bright red cotton blouse with the first three buttons undone and sleeves rolled to her elbow among a pair of khaki slacks that rested nicely just above her hips. To keep her clothes protected, Makoto Honda wore the sole white apron she had worn every single episode on her show, and while at work. It had frills on the edges, two pockets, and went down to her knees. To wrap up her outfit; two pairs of little hoops adorned her ears. She was in her young thirties but refused to give a direct answer in regards to her age, and didn't want to dress like an old woman. Another thing about mom, she thought of her lineage as 'a lucky birth'. She was blessed to have all that she owns, and not one day has gone by that she took her money for granted.

"Haninozuka, I'm glad you enjoy it. Only the best for one of my best clients and his friends." She smiled at him as he took a bite into a slice.

Obviously sempai has been a frequent visitor at the restaurant.

"Mom? I thought you were at work…" I looked down, which I've been doing a lot lately.

"Oh I've decided to postpone the show. People are just going to have to deal with re-runs!" She grinned heartily and scanned the space, looking for someone that would fit the (non-physical) description that I gave her.

"Oh look, it's Fujioka!" She walked over to Tamaki and took his hand in hers. "So you're my little flower child's new friend? I'm so happy that you have taken her under your wing, and are showing her around! She told me that she was having a hard time over at Ouran in regards to readjusting ever since she came back from America and…" She paused dramatically and whimpered softly. "I'm just so happy."

Oh gawd, she was putting the icing on the drama cake.

And the king was taking a big fat slice for himself.

"Oh, Honda-san…I will take good care of your daughter as if she was one of my own, just like my Haruhi!" Suoh's eyes tears welled with small amounts of tears as he waved a gentle arm towards the REAL Fujioka, and the futuristic living room was full of roses. He could even entice my own mother!

"Hee hee, I'll just leave you guys alone for now." Makoto's face was still flushed as she retreated into the kitchen humming a familiar tune.

With her gone, I was suddenly alone with that weird silence again.

It was going to be a long, long afternoon.

----

Fujioka looked around the living room, and noticed the lone vintage video tape, but didn't bring up the subject. "So, Saranson-san, you went to America? What occasion did you visit for?" He asked me.

"I was visiting my father. He's an actor, but since the divorce he moved back to his mansion in Florida. I go to America for a month every summer and sometimes during holidays" I laid back in one of the armchairs. "He's a nice guy, but he is in the public eye too much."

Tamaki seemed somewhat interested in my explanation. "He's in magazines and tabloids and such?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I said, standing up as I thought of an idea. "Hold on, I'll show you something." I left the living room for a fleeting moment, and returned with a copy of America's favorite celebrity magazine, with me and my father on the cover. In the picture, my glasses were lit with the cameras' flash, and I was shocked. Across the front read the headline in big letters: SARANSON'S LOVECHILD?!

"I was thirteen, and it was my first trip to the United States. My dad was just picking me up from the airport when the paparazzi surrounded us. It was all so sudden. I don't do well in large crowds, especially when I don't have someone with me." I said, looking down at the carpeting. When I brought my eyes back up, I saw sempai on the ground, almost finished with the cake. "It looks like sempai is finished with the cake."

"Look, this might sound weird, but how would you all like to cook with my mother and I?" I wanted to quickly change the subject. I just don't feel comfortable talking about myself that personally.

Tamaki looked at Haruhi, and a silly smile was plastered on his face as he pictured Haruhi in a frilly apron similar to Makoto's. "I'll help. It's been a while since I've prepared anything in the kitchen! Won't you join me, Haruhi?"

Fujioka looked just a tad unnerved, but smiled. "Oh, alright."

Kaoru and Hikaru looked at each other and sighed. "Milord, you've never prepared anything in the kitchen before." They also remembered the last time Haruhi was cooking, and how they had fun perturbing Tamaki. "We'll join in too."

"Are we baking a cake?" Mitsukuni asked me with a stuffed bunny in his arms. "Bun-bun would love to bake a cake!"

"Ah." Morinozuka stated, stating that he would accompany the group.

Now all that was undecided was that sly Ohtori. "…" Everyone gazed at him, persuading him to join in on their follies. "Fine. I'll read the cookbook." He got up from his seat and closed his Pineapple laptop that I assumed he brought with him.

"Looks like the gang's all here." I said, contented with myself. "C'mon, follow me." I lead them all into the kitchen, holding the door for them.

Seems like we're going to have a bit of fun.

----

I lead them into the Honda kitchen, my mother's so-called secret lair. Unlike the silver and gray room, this room was much livelier. The walls were painted a pleasant green to create somewhat of a theme. Around the kitchen lie numerous small potted plants; more specifically little herbs for Makoto's cooking. The kitchen was very contemporary; stainless steel appliances could be spotted everywhere. Dark green tile was on every countertop. In the center of the kitchen was an island counter along with four earthy brown barstools. I ate breakfast, lunch, and dinner there each morning. There were two stainless steel ovens; one on top of the other, and there was a flat stove top, the eyes of the oven were electric. A great steel refrigerator (with freezer) stood in a corner, and I walked over to get a nice, tall glass of water from the built in dispenser. In the room behind the kitchen was the official Honda pantry. Such a sight to behold, it was always stocked.

"Do you boys need aprons? Those are really nice uniforms. It'd be a shame to mess them up." Makoto beamed and handed them each an apron.

Honey tied on a cream colored apron with a nice, large bow twice around his waist. Still, it was too large for his small body and it almost touched the floor.

Mori had on a plain, white apron. No frills, tied once around his waist

Tamaki made a claim on a purple apron. He had decided that purple was a regal color, and was fit for the host club king himself.

Kyoya insisted on not wearing an apron, for he would simply be dictating the recipe to them. However, Makoto insisted on him wearing an apron simply so he would match with the rest of the host club. So she gave him a small blue pinstripe apron to wear. It didn't cover his chest and it tied around his waist to cover just his thighs.

Kaoru and Hikaru each put on an olive colored apron. The straps were made of lime green colored ribbons, and they each wore a lime colored bandana around their head to keep their red hair safe from even the slightest trace of flour.

Lastly, Haruhi was left with the last apron; a small, frilly one a waitress in a cute café would wear. Unlike the rest of the hosts, Fujioka had taken off his uniform jacket. His apron had a pink and yellow check pattern and I tied it tightly around his waist in a big bow. I looked up at Suoh, I could tell that he liked this one. I giggled and spun Haruhi around, and looked him up and down.

And then I noticed them.

"F-Fujioka…?"

"Yes, Saranson-san?"

"I think your apron is too tight on you…" I started off, my eyes enlarged.

"Oh? Why is that?" Haruhi asked, pondering why I'd say such a thing.

"Your chest…" I pointed a limp finger to Fujioka's upper body. "You…you seem to have breasts."

Well what an eventful day this has been.

**A/N:** Well? Exciting, yes? No? What will happen next? Will the host club cut ties with Hanako? Will Hanako spill the beans? Stay tuned, fellow readers, stay tuned!


	4. Welcome to the Club

**A/N: **wow, I'm really updating fast here. Heh, I don't have internet for most of the day, so I whip up a chapter. When my dad gets home I use his laptop and borrow some wireless internet, lol. But thank you for all the reviews. I love you guys!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, ect ect

"Fujioka, you're a girl?" I asked him—er, her—in surprise.

"Yes." She replied calmly. She didn't act like a big secret was just revealed, that's for sure. "I never said that I wasn't."

"Well, well, well." Kyoya stood up from his comfortable position on a barstool and closed the small cookbook in his hands, then replaced it with his little book of secrets. "Hanako Saranson. Makoto Honda. You two know Haruhi's secret. She is forced to conceal her gender because she is as-of-now a host in our club in order to repay a very expensive debt. Don't expect to tell anyone and get away with it. If so, be sure to have a passport handy."

"Huh? Well, I have a passport so…" I started off to inform him that if I needed to flee Japan I was able to. I soon found out he wasn't really kidding along.

"Honda-san; and my flower child," Tamaki started off before I could say anything else stupid.

Wait. When was Suoh allowed to call me his 'flower child'?! Drat, these nicknames… "Saranson, Hanako." I corrected him quickly. We weren't even on a first-name basis yet; I was not about to let him call me by my personal nickname.

Anyways, back to the story. He was going to explain to us the reason Fujioka hid her gender from everyone. "You are now part of the few…the proud…"

I was about to interrupt and suggest we were going to join the Marines, but I stopped in my tracks.

"…the select crowd that know Haruhi's big secret!" He stressed 'big secret' for a dramatic effect. I glanced over at my mother, as she was being addressed as well.

Makoto's eyes were gleaming and she was well involved with all of this 'secret' stuff. Oh jeez.

"The only people that DO know about Haruhi are the host club, her father Fujioka Ranka, and you two." The king of the club rattled on. I suppose knowing who else was up to date of Haruhi's gender was important…

"But…you're something special, Saranson." Tamaki beamed, showing off his 'perfect manga book' smile. "You are a lady!"

I snorted (softly, I might add). "Yeah, last time I checked." I retorted under my breath.

"Everyone else that knows about Haruhi—excluding herself—is a man!" The king put his arm around my shoulder. I looked around at the rest of the club.

Takashi was helping Mitsukuni with his apron; Kyoya was being…uh…Kyoya; and the twins with discussing something about…my hair?

"That's why from now on you are Honorary Host Club Member!" Tamaki cheered and raised his arms in exclamation, as well with everyone else (excluding Kyoya and Haruhi).

"Um…I can't hang out with you guys in the host club…I don't have the money." I said quietly. Stating that around such wealthy students was quite unnerving.

"What do you mean?" Kaoru asked me in a questioning tone.

"You _are_ rich, right?" Hikaru finished off for him.

"I mean, your house has a courtyard and swimming pool, does it not?" The Hitachiin siblings said in unison, but cut out the part about the size.

I sighed and brought a hand to my forehead. Before I could explain to them, my mother took care of it for me.

"I'm raising my daughter to be sensible with her money. Even though she's rich doesn't mean she can't work for the money—I believe that each and every one of you children were just born lucky, as I. She took up a waitressing job at my restaurant, in part because it was what I had done when I was her age—even though I then lived in affluence." She paused for a moment, and then got back to talking. "Her father sends her a couple hundred dollars each month as a little 'treat'. As I don't fully condone it; it's nice to see my daughter enjoy herself. Hanako is always worrying about us you know."

"What do you mean?" Fujioka asked my mother.

"If anything happens to me, she will have to move back to America to live with her father. He's always busy, his privacy gets invaded almost every single day, and it's hard to have someone you love pass away. I don't want that for my child." Makoto said with concern. The thought of her precious flower child leaving her dampened her spirits, and she sighed.

"Oh, I understand fully." Fujioka said to herself.

"Well we have to find a way to keep an eye on her." Kyoya stated seriously. With that unpaid debt and Haruhi's secret being discovered yet again; he had to make sure the people that were 'in the know' were not off ruining the whole host club scenario.

"How about…we make Saranson our club's assistant manager?" Tamaki suggested. It wasn't too bad of a shot, I suppose. "Kyoya, would you mind having somewhat of an assistant to your position?" He asked his companion. "No pay, but no fee." He told me. It didn't sound too bad, really.

The raven haired boy shrugged. Only reason he took the job is because no one else would. "Well, we would be able to watch over her…"

"And Honda-san could prepare the food?" Tamaki brought up another idea as he plopped into an empty barstool.

This suggestion really pleased the oldest member of the club. "Yes! That's a great idea!" Haninozuka cried out with joy.

"What do you say, ladies?" Suoh smiled at us with a gleam, and I looked at my mother.

"Well, the restaurant opens up at seven each evening, so I'll have to be there late five-ish…I film my show each Tuesday and Thursday…but Wednesdays I am free." Makoto smiled, making a pact with the club. "And you, my flower child?"

"Well, I was thinking of joining some clubs anyways…Maybe the filmmakers club. But, I guess its okay with me." I said, pondering. I always enjoyed the idea of making films.

Tamaki stood up from his seat and raised one arm, and with that sparkles and roses soared everywhere around the kitchen. I was getting used to that, and it looked quite pretty with the green themed room.

"Excellent!" The king exclaimed dramatically. "We have reached the verdict! As of now Saranson Hanako and Honda Makoto are a part of our family!"

As I saw everyone else but Kyoya and I raised their arms in celebration, my mother smiled at me.

"So, uh," I started off, kind of nervous. "Are we all on a first name basis now?"

----

As soon I found out that we were, I smiled. "Well then. Let's do what we came in here to do." Everyone looked down at their aprons. They had forgotten that they were going to bake some sweets.

"Honey-sempai, did you mix up all of the ingredients in the bowl?" I asked him peering into the batter. "Good, good. Eggs, milk, butter, sugar, and chocolate cake mix. Good!"

The little man smiled happily and took out the mixing spoon. "Hana-chan! Can I lick the spoon please?" Honey looked up at me with the batter covered spoon in his hand. "Of course, sempai. Go on ahead."

"Yay!" He took a spoonful of batter and stuck it into his mouth. "Thank you, Hana-chan! It's even sweeter than the cake itself."

"Mitsukuni…you're supposed to lick the spoon after you put the cake batter into the pan…" Mori told him.

"Oh…but it was yummy." Honey poured the cake batter into a round shaped pan.

Mother checked up on Tamaki, whom had burn his hand on the oven. "Suoh, you're supposed to put the pan into the oven with an oven mitt, that's why you hurt your hand."

"Oh Makoto-san, such a caring woman…" Tamaki said gracefully as he put a band-aid on his index finger.

"Hey, Kaoru," Hikaru said in a mischievous tone to his brother.

"Yes, Hikaru?" He replied.

"Catch!" The other brother threw an egg at Kaoru, and he couldn't catch it in time to keep it from splattering on his chest.

"…" Kaoru blinked and splashed some milk on his laughing brother. "Hehehe…"

They both then ended up covered in flour as they were laughing on the floor. I glanced over and saw the mess those two were making. "Hikaru! Kaoru!" I called to them as I stood over the twins, who were writing in flour, eggs, and milk.

"Oh, Hanako." They said in harmony. "We were just baking. See?" They pointed to their aprons. "We're hard at work."

I sighed, and got a mop to clean up the mess those twins made.

"Ah, Haruhi. You're a natural at this. You'll make a good wife one day." Makoto smiled at Haruhi as she evenly iced a layer of the cake.

When mom said that, Tamaki's eyes glistened with the thought of Haruhi cooking him dinner. In this fantasy; she was in that same apron and was telling him dinner was just about ready.

"Thank you, Honda-san." Haruhi said, still polite as ever. "When my mother passed she left me lots of recipes to learn." My mother nodded as she made tiny pink petals on the cake. "Ah, I see."

----

After hard work from everyone (excluding Kyoya; after he read us the instructions, he opened up his laptop and started typing away) our triple layer chocolate cake was completed. "We'll save this for tomorrow; I'll have Hanako bring it over in the morning."

"What a joy to prepare a meal in the kitchen with such handsome men," Tamaki put his hand on my chin and brought it up to his face. "Eh, my flower child?"

"Please don't call me that, sempai…and that hurt…" I strained my neck and took it from his hands. "Uh, anyways, should we get going now? It's getting kind of dark outside…"

With that stated, one by one the club members left my home. As I waved good-bye to Haruhi, whom was getting a ride home from my driver, I sat back in a barstool. "We've got ourselves in deep, mom."

"Yeah, you could say that. But all of this stuff going on is exciting, you have to admit. Not to mention working alongside all of those handsome men…and Fujioka, too." She sighed contentedly. "C'mon, you're saying you're not the least bit thrilled? I know I would be!"

"Mother?"

"Yes, Hanako?"

"I'm just in the least bit delighted." I leaned my head back and giggled lightly.

**A/N:** Well, onwards to chapter five! The thing is, I can't really think of anything to write about in the next chapter. I think I'm going to skip through time a little, yes. A month or so into the future maybe?


	5. Miracles Happen?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, ect ect

* * *

It's been a few months since I met that crazy host club.

At first, I thought they would be nothing more than classmates over at my home, until I found out Fujioka's big secret. I would share, but I'm not supposed to tell until…graduation?

Anyways, I couldn't help but notice it was getting closer to Halloween. I promised mother I would dress up this year, which I rarely did, and in turn she would pay for my costume.

By the time I got home from the Host Club and Filmmakers club I barely had the time to change into casual clothes, so I was still in my uniform. "Hey mom." I greeted her from the sofa as I watched the weather on television.

"Hey Hanako…Your hair! It's fabulous! Did you get it done?" Makoto sat beside me, leaning in.

"Yeah, I used a hair iron so it would be straighter It's still kinda wavy, but at least it's not frizzy anymore." I laughed lightly. "It's quite nice, really." She grinned ear to ear. "It sure is."

We left around early five, which left us a few minutes for me to find something with my mother's input.

By the time we got to the classy department store by the Honda restaurant, we only had fifteen minutes together before she would have to go to work.

"Do you like this one flower child?" Mother held up a red and blue sailor suit costume, similar to that of Sailor Moon's. "Uh, no thanks. I'm not that in to cos-playing." She returned the costume to its rightful place. "Medieval princess outfit, what do you think?" I twirled around in the crimson gown and my mother shook her head. "It doesn't really look right."

Finally, we came to decision. Mom picked out a cute panda costume. It was similar to a white mini dress, the hem ended up two inches above my knee. The dress had two puffy short sleeves that were like black fluff on my shoulders and a little panda tail on the back. For the panda's head, the dress had a white hood with two fuzzy panda ears sticking out of it. I had matching shoes, a light pair a black slippers and noir colored gloves.

"This is perfect!" I exclaimed as I came out from the dressing room and twirled around once. "What do you think, mom? Mom?" I turned to see her rushing out the door. It seemed that she was running late, and told me to just pay for the outfit with her credit card. I checked my purse; she had snuck it in there when I was changing. "Wow, pretty Hana-chan!" A happy voice called out to me. "Ah." A deep voice agreed with him.

"Takashi-sempai?" I turned to look at him, accompanied as always by Mitsukuni. "Oh, hello Honey-sempai." I smiled a bit at the sight of them.

Then I looked down at my costume, then back up at Takashi. "Uh…so, what are you two doing here?" I looked at my feet, hiding my flushed face.

"We're going to get matching costumes for the costume ball tomorrow!" Sempai cheered. "Hnn." Morinozuka stated.

"That's nice. What are you planning on dressing up as?" I asked the two of them. I really needed to change back into my normal clothes as soon as possible.

"Something cute. Maybe a bunny, or a cat, or a dog…what do you think, Takashi?"

"Sounds good."

I smiled and nervously inched back to the dressing room. "I have to change back into my clothes now, but I'll see you two later." I chuckled one last time and sought refuge in my changing stall to change, then later pay for my outfit. Talk about an uncomfortable situation.

Mitsukuni and Takashi exchanged quick glances, and Mitsukuni laughed lightly. "Takashi,"

"Yes?"

"Hana-chan doesn't have much of a poker face, does she?"

"I can read her like a book."

----

The next day of school was full of fun. Almost everyone in the institute was in costume; and there was no class to be taught. I pulled up to the school in my panda-girl costume and brown leather purse, making my way into the building. Today, I had brought my video camera for a project I was working on. Just a little project for fun. I usually got bored on 'free days' so I would have to find something to keep me busy. My activities of the day would consist of taping just about anything that moves and making cookies for the host club and their guests (Mother couldn't show up today, she was filming her show). That's pretty much it. Maybe I'll study a bit.

I swung the doors open to the third music room and I could tell that it was well decorated. Rather than rose petals being showered about, black and orange confetti was in its place. I was sure to get a good shot of that, "How nice." I looked around at the holiday themed host club.

"Ah, Hanako, would you care to bake us some cookies?" Tamaki asked in his vampire prince costume.

"Uh…sure." I pulled the panda hood over my head as I scuttled into the kitchen (why was there a kitchen in a music room? I truly don't know that myself). I hadn't planned out a nice cookie batter last night, so I had to run by a supermarket and pick up these pre-made cookies. I remember these from my visits to dad's house. Since he could hardly cook anything himself; whenever he was in a sugar fix he would swing by a supermarket and pick up these 'place and bake' cookies. Apparently I just need to put them an inch or so away from each other on a large pan. Good thing I remembered there were going to be more guests than usual, so I picked up five packs of thirty cookies. That would surely be enough.

In about an hour, every last sweet was baked and put on an ornate platter. I thought by using nice tableware it would dress up these simple cookies. Now, I might not be able to trick the quick Kyoya or the sweet connoisseur Honey-sempai but Tamaki might be able to be fooled.

"A cookie for the king." I presented him with a jack-o-lantern cookie and awaited his response. "Well? How is it?"

"Hmm…It's quite good. It's strangely sweet, crisp on the outside yet soft in the middle. How did you obtain this supposedly perfect cookie?!" Tamaki's eyes welled up with his tears of drama, and I chuckled nervously.

"Oh?" Haruhi took a cookie for herself and a small bite out of it. "Place and bake." She stated clearly as she finished the ghost shaped cookie.

"Ehh?!" The rest of the club, excluding Takashi and Kyoya, cried out. The 'commoner' called my bluff.

"Place-and-bake?" Hikaru and Kaoru asked Haruhi in unison.

"Yes. It's a cookie with the batter that's already made, so all you have to do is put them on a sheet and bake them."

The club looked at me with a blank stare, probably for feeding them a so-called 'commoner's cookie'. "I'm not that good a chef, and I was busy last night buying a costume and I had to work too so…"

"Oh, a commoner's cookie?" Tamaki pondered. "It tastes not that bad…The commoner's cookie shall stay!"

I sighed in relief and set down the platter. Today was going to be a long day.

----

"Oh! Saranson-san!" A boy called to me as I ambled around the school. "Hmm? Oh, hello there." I smiled at the student calling for me.

His name was Fujita Yukio, class 2-B. He was in the filmmakers club with me, and we once worked on a project together. We weren't exactly close.

"Fujita. Nice to see you." I said, not looking at his face.

"You look cute in your panda girl outfit. I like it."

"Thank you." I replied plainly.

You could say Yukio was popular. I admit, he was attractive, but I never made an effort to pursue him. Being the only son out of four children, Yukio is somewhat spoiled. His name DOES mean "gets what he wants" anyways. He seemed to have a bit of a crush on me, at least that's what I've heard. I never really could tell when it came to Yukio.

He had long sandy hair that he kept tucked behind his ears. His eyes were a smoky blue and his skin was tanned from long days outside. He's almost six feet tall and just over one hundred fifty pounds. He would wear his uniform is a lazy fashion; shirt untucked, loose tie. Yukio doesn't like to dress up on holidays, but in contrast he likes looking at other people in costume. Today his sleeves were rolled up to his elbow, and he didn't wear his tie. His shirt was half tucked in as well, and to top it all off he had on a cocky smirk. "Well aren't we all dressed up, eh Saranson?"

"Yeah, my mother said she'd pay for my costume if I dressed up this year. I never really do dress up."

"Well, there's another thing we have in common. I was just on my way to lunch; would you care to join me?"

"Not really." I looked around. There wasn't much anyone around, and I had forgotten to bring a lunch today—or any money. "But I will."

Yukio called it a Halloween Miracle. I called it having someone buy me lunch.

* * *

**A/N:** Kyeheheh, I didn't want to bring in a love interest for Hanako, but I suppose I ended up bringing a one-sided love interest to antagonize the pairing. Also, I might end this story with Valentine's Day, with an epilogue taking place on White Day. I don't know; it might turn into more of a romance fiction than a humor/general genre! Heehee, sorry about that loyal readers. Well, review if you wish. 


	6. He's Something Else

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ouran Highschool Host club, ect ect. However; Honda Makoto, Saranson Hanako, and Fujita Yukio all belong to me!

* * *

"So, Saranson." Yukio started off, poking at his steak. "It's been forever since we've ate together, eh? It's been so long since middle school." 

"Mmhmm." I said with food in my mouth. "A really long time."

Sometimes I would sit by myself at lunch, sometimes I ate with the filmmakers club. Lately, I would eat with Fujioka Haruhi. But…I haven't eaten lunch with Fujita in a while.

We used to be close friends; we just kind of drifted away. After I left for America last year, we didn't really hang out together outside of school; not to mention since I knew about Fujioka.

"You seem to be enjoying your food. You better be, 'cause I paid for it…"

I was about to spit it out into my napkin, but I had to admit that the food was good. However, I wasn't about to be a total jerk and take advantage of Yukio like that. He DID buy me lunch after all; I should be nice to him.

"Yeah. Thank you." I silenced my smart remarks and finished my lunch in solitude.

Over at a not-so-far away table, we were being watched. "My flower child isn't sitting with us today. Honda-san placed her under my safekeeping!" Tamaki pouted as he ate his lunch with the club. "What do you think those two are talking about?"

Haruhi shrugged. "I don't know. You should let her breathe sometimes, sempai."

Kyoya adjusted his glasses. "That's Fujita Yukio, class 2-B."

"My, doesn't he look disheveled." Kaoru and Hikaru stated together.

Honey ate the small berries off of his cake. "Wasn't he once in your kendo club, Takashi?"

"Yes." He replied plainly. "Last year."

"You…don't think my flower child is dating this boy? Telling him everything that she knows…" Tamaki's eyes burned up. "We should keep a close eye on them." He stood up, took his meal, and sat to the right of me with a foolish smile plastered smack dab on his face.

Cripes.

"So, I see you're talking to my flower child, here."

"Suoh." Yukio firmly addressed him.

"She has been put in my care by her mother, Honda-san."

"Yeah, I know her mom."

"That's why I'm here, to keep her company and comfort her. Just to make sure she's all right."

"That's great." Fujita gripped his knife tightly in his hand…and then cut his steak some more, ripping it off the fork with his teeth. He certainly found this Suoh annoying. "I really don't care if you sit here, but why did you call her your flower child?" He turned his head to face me and asked me a question while chewing his meal.

"Saranson, are you dating this guy?"

When I felt his eyes lock with mine, I kind of panicked under the pressure. He never directly looked at me whenever we spoke. He would gaze off to another subject to look at, or face downwards. When Yukio Fujita looked at me in that dining hall…

"I don't have any interests in him like that, sempai." I clenched my glass of water in my right hand and sipped it. "When I returned to Ouran a few months ago, my mother asked him to make sure I met people. He's nothing more than a friend."

"Oh." He swallowed the last bit of his lunch quietly and soon his eyes turned away from mine.

"I'm full." I declared as I stood up. "Fujita, thank you for buying me lunch. I'll catch up with you later today."

I left the table and dining hall altogether, and then cursed at myself for not realizing it sooner.

I had lost my video camera.

----

"It's not lost, it's misplaced. Not lost, misplaced…" I repeated that to myself over and over again. Someone could have stolen it…or worse, someone could have stolen it and watched what secrets I had confessed to the camera to ease my troubled heart and mind.

"It's not lost! Misplaced! It's not stolen! Misplaced!" I said louder in hope of my camera being safe and sound. "Not stolen…misplaced…" My confidence boosting cheers came to halt.

I had bumped into Takashi Morinozuka.

"I-I'm sorry, I should be watching where I'm going…" I uttered my apologies.

"What did you lose, Saranson?" He asked me. Of all of the members in the host club, Takashi would call me by my surname.

"I've misplaced my video camera. It's fairly modern; a handheld one too…"

"Ah. Follow me."

So I did as Morinozuka instructed and followed him up to the third music room, in which the club was entertaining a scattered lot of guests. Which lead me to wonder—what Mori was doing around the school when the rest of the hosts were with clients?

"Is this it?" We found ourselves in the kitchen and Mori handed me a sleek little camera. "Thank you very much." I said in return, looking down at my feet. I was hoping that the hood of my costume combined with my temporarily straightened hair would hide my rosy face.

"You're welcome." He said with a small grin and he left to meet with Haninozuka. "I'm back, Mitsukuni."

"Takashi!" He cheered with glee. "What were you up to?" Honey saw me leaving the kitchen and music room in a state of bliss in the corner of his eye.

"…Nothing, really."

----

I was sitting on a wooden bench outside of school for an hour or so after dismissal. Of course, what was I doing just sitting around the school with the sun setting upon me? Waiting for anyone? Sulking all alone? No, I was just thinking to myself.

I had called my driver and asked him to take his time in coming to pick me up. I wanted to go through everything that I had taped on my camera.

I had a lot of footage of people just walking around in their costumes, laughing and giggling amongst themselves. I have some footage of me baking the easy bake cookies. I popped out the compact disc into my hand and held it until it began to cut into my hand.

"Miss Saranson?" The driver called out to me as I looked up. "Oh, yeah I'm coming." I put the disk back into the camera and almost fell asleep in the back of the car, if it wasn't for my cell phone ringing I would have stayed napping.

"Ugh…hello?"

"Hello, Hanako! It's me, mom."

"Oh. Yeah, hi."

"What's wrong, you sound a bit off today. Is everything okay at school?

"Yeah, kinda. I almost lost my camera today, but Morinozuka returned it. Oh, and I ate lunch with Fujita Yukio today, too."

There was a slight pause.

"Oh! The same one from when you were a little kid?"

I sighed into the receiver. "The one and the same."

I heard her chortle, and politely asked her to stop. I knew why she was laughing, and I remembered everything quite vividly in my head.

When we were children, Yukio and I were classmates. Best friends, to be exact. Even though we were a year apart we still kept in contact; going to the same school made it easy. But when I told him that I was going to America for a year of schooling, he was shaken up. A week or so before our final days of school for the term, Yukio approached me and stole away my first kiss with no forewarning.

This upset me very much—Mother found it funny when I told her about what had happened—and I left him there standing as I ran away. Even though I felt very guilty the night after, and phoned him to apologize, it was never the same between us. I wrote him letters every now and then while I was away; he only replied once or twice. I was quite surprised to see him; I could not recognize him at first.

"Sorry, hon. it's just that I didn't think you'd keep in touch with that boy. What's he like nowadays? Did he try to kiss you?" I heard mother stifle laughter.

Why, oh why did she have to bring that up again?

"He's something else." I told her with my weary voice. "Yup…something else alright. That's for sure."

* * *

**A/N:**Eek! Sorry for a smaller chapter. But, I've been kind of busy, and have been thinking. I've already decided how this story is going to be planned out—pairings and all. I'm more of a big picture kind of girl, though, so I'm going to have to sort out details and maybe a silly side story every now and then. What do you think, fair readers?  



	7. Happy Birthday

**A/N: **Yay! It's time for a random side-story. And I have news! I've come up with a concept for my second OHSHC fanfiction, and it involves our good "friends" at St. Lobelia's.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Ouran Highscool host club, I do own Makoto Honda/Hanako Saranson/Yukio Fujita

* * *

I was lazily walking down the stairs into the living room. I had just woken up, so I was still in my pajamas. It was late in the fall, the winter winds moving in, and having a nice long sleeved pair of thick cotton sleepwear was good for you. Of course, being at home alone, wearing my pastel green shirt-and-pants pajamas with cute little slugs on them was acceptable attire. 

Unless you had a surprise visit by the host club and filmmakers club.

"Happy birthday, Hanako!" The group surprised me and they were dressed in nice, casual clothes.

It was at that moment I was ready to die of embarrassment.

"You look nice, Saranson." Fujita snickered.

"I-I need to go change right now!" I ran up to my bedroom and looked around for something decent to wear. After fifteen or twenty minutes, I finally descended back down the steps.

This time, I was wearing a long sleeved crimson top with three golden stars printed across the top to match the star shaped earrings dangling from my ears. To go with the shirt I had on a dark denim skirt that ended three inches above the knee, and under my skirt I had on thick gray tights. Unlike the rest of my houseguests, I didn't wear shoes in the house.

"So," I started off, still recovering from the shock. "What brings you here?"

"We thought it would be nice to throw you a small party on your birthday. So we set differences aside with the movies club over there and well, here we are my flower child." Tamaki explained to me with a perfectly drawn manga smile.

"Please, call me Hanako. And what differences?"

Kyoya adjusted his glasses and took out his little black book. "Do you remember the Renge fiasco? That highly edited DVD that she had made sold much more than the previous project filmed by the latter club over there."

I turned to see Fujita hot under the collar. "T-that was just a fluke…" I'm glad Soga-chan and Ueda-kun stepped in, or else Fujita would have started a conflict. He and his short fuse…

Soga Rika and Ueda-kun were members of the film club with Yukio and I. I don't know them very well, but Ueda-kun once interviewed me for his documentary. Soga is a tall and muscular student; she's in class 3-C and is the club president. Ueda is short and kind of pale. I think he was also in the dark magic club.

"Hana-chan! Hana-chan! Open this one first!" Honey-sempai pushed a box wrapped in flowery wrapping paper and another box wrapped in gray towards me. "This is from me and Bun-bun!"

I set the presents in my lap and opened Mitsukuni's first to avoid speculation. Inside of the box was a small pink stuffed bunny holding a toy strawberry. "It's so cute, sempai. I'll call her Ichigo, because of the strawberry."

"Saranson-san, mine next…" Ueda handed me a dark purple wrapped box.

I opened up the present and took out a movie. "Drop Dead Gorgeous…? What is this, Ueda-kun…?" The title sounded like some sort of sleazy movie.

"Umehito-sempai helped me choose this. He told me you spend a lot of time with the host club, so you probably like handsome men."

Urk.

"I picked this up for you. It's about these good looking men who really have a dark side that sometimes is seen through their façade. And when you get them cross…"

Everyone glanced at Kyoya, who was writing something down in his book. "Yes?" He put on his so-called innocent smile.

"I get it, Ueda-kun. Tell Nekozawa-sempai thank you for me as well."

Ueda grinned and went back to his seat, contented with my thanks.

"I hope you like mine, Saranson-chan." Soga-chan handed me a red box and a thumbs-up gesture to go with it. When I opened my gift from her, I was quite pleased.

At last, a practical gift!

"A camera case, just what I needed!" I put it around my neck with the strap in satisfaction. It had little slugs on it; I wonder who tipped her in on my favorite animal. Lucky guess?

"Tada! Just what you needed too, Hanako." Kaoru and Hikaru each handed me a box. From Hikaru's, a hair iron.

"I already have one of these…" I said flatly.

"Yes, but now you have a better one! Open mine next, Hanakooo…" Kaoru chanted as I fingered the ribbon on his present to me.

"These are very pretty barrettes." I held the four barrettes in my hands. They had small jewels inside of them; but I couldn't tell if they were real or not. "Yeah, but they might get caught in your hair, so you should straighten it out first."

Oh, the two gifts were sort of like a package…

"Is it my turn, my flower child?" Tamaki pondered. "Mommy and I worked mutually and put together a photo album of you and all of your friends!"

I flipped through some of the pages, and saw some pictures of me eating, of Fujita sleeping on the beach, some of the Host Club in costume, and much more. "This is real sweet and all but…how did you get a hold of these pictures?" Tamaki shrugged. "I don't know, ask Kyoya."

I glanced over at Kyoya, still faking an innocent smile. I was not about to question the shady member of the club, that's for sure.

"I'll go next." Fujita and Mori confirmed in unison.

Oh no, Fujita…

He looked Takashi in the eyes and they both declared a 'Silent-Staring Contest between Men' to decide the outcome.

Of course, you could easily see who had the upper hand.

You could also see who presented me with their gift even though they lost the contest.

"Fujita…"

"Hey, just open it. I won fair and square"

"No you didn't." I said coldly to myself as I opened Yukio's gift next. He presented it to me in a little gift bag.

"It's…a panda key ring." I held it out on my finger. Fujita seemed quite pleased in himself.

"Yeah. We first reconciled on Halloween. You were a panda girl. We even had a lunch-date until 'daddy' over here had to butt in…" Yukio grumbled. "But I thought, you know, since you have a backpack you could wear the key ring on your bag." He sat down, chuckling sheepishly

I took the cute panda key ring and put it with my other gifts.

"Fujioka is next, now!" Soga and Ueda said in harmony as they pointed to Haruhi, who simply blinked.

"I baked some home made cookies for Hanako. Honda-san told me to put them into the kitchen, so we could eat later."

"It's my turn now." Morinozuka stated firmly. He gave me a small box wrapped in gray.

Oh wow, a gift from Takashi-sempai…

I wondered on what was inside of it. Maybe if I shook it, I would get a hint on what was inside…No! I could have broken it.

My eyes widened as I carefully unwrapped the silver wrapping paper. "Oh Takashi…"

I looked at the gold colored medallion in my palm. It had a long chain, so I could wear the pendant around my neck. It had the circumference of a plum, and when I found the opening there was a slot for a picture inside.

"…Honda-san helped." He admitted solemnly.

"It's very sweet of you." I smiled kindly towards him, and Takashi smiled back. "It's very sweet of all of you." I beamed at everyone.

Mother stood up and laughed heartily. "It was kind of hard to plan everything. You see, Ohtori-kun is cranky when he wakes up. So is Haninozuka-kun, and without him Morinozuka won't come. Suoh-kun wakes up early in the morning, and I haven't the slightest idea where Fujioka or the Hitachiin-kuns live. Soga-chan and Ueda-kun were relatively easy to get a hold of, however." She plopped back down in her seat.

"Now, who wants to go eat Fujioka's cookies?" The whole lot of them left the room to retreat to the Honda kitchen, and I sat there for a moment.

Takashi's locket was in my hand, and I put it around my neck. I took the presents up to my room and set them on my dresser. I plunked down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"Hanako! Would you come down here?"

"In a minute!"

I sighed contently and walked down to the kitchen to meet my friends.

Happy birthday to me.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, Soga-chan and Ueda-kun are very minor characters. They might make a comeback in later chapters though. And in case you didn't know, Ueda-kun is a pun on Umehito Nekozawa altogether. Yuji Ueda is the voice actor for Nekozawa, and he's one of my favorites. So I decided to allude to him in this chapter. You learn something new every day! 


	8. First Orders: Find a Warm HQ!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ouran Highschool Host Club, ect ect.

* * *

"We should really get a better club headquarters…It's too cold to be having our meetings here." Soga-chan shivered in her Ouran uniform sweater. It was her older brothers, but it fit loosely on her frame. 

"At l-least you have a sweater…" I quipped freezing in my yellow dress. "I wish I had someone to give me a jacket or somethin'…"

"You should get one of these dark, flowing cloaks Saranson-san. They are warm, and practical, and keep you protected from the sun's bad UV rays." Ueda-kun informed me of the wonders of black hooded cloaks.

Fujita then arrived at our club's meeting, which always have been taking place outside in the school courtyard. "Saranson! You can wear my jacket!" He beamed a sunny smile through the murky cold day and took off his blue uniform jacket, extending it to me.

Yukio was just an outdoorsy type of guy. You could tell; he was walking briskly through the snow in just his shirt and tie. The only time he did get sick from the weather was when he wasn't allowed outside.

Taking up his offer, I seized his jacket and wrapped it around my body. He was tickled pink about me wearing his coat.

"You know, Saranson, you wearing my jacket is like declaring to the world we're a couple."

I threw his coat on in the snow. "F-first orders of the Filmmakers Club—find a w-warm headquarters!"

----

"Umehito-sempai can lend us the dark magic club headquarters. He's such a swell guy, Saranson." Ueda lead us to the third music room. "I think we can find him in here…"

The two doors swung open, and a shower of red rose petals flew out into my face (nearly causing me to have an asthma attack). Each member of the club was dressed in Santa Clause-esque attire. "My daughter! You're so chilled; your lips are pale…" Tamaki glided over to us and took my hands in his. "You and your friends have a nice warm cup of tea."

Fujita scowled. "No thanks. We're here to see Nekozawa-sempai."

"Yessssss?" A dark cloaked figure peeked out from the closet door.

"Umehito-sempai!" Ueda approached him with respect. "If you have the space, would you please host the filmmakers club in your humble domain?"

"Fufufu; please, join us..." He gave each of us a cloak and a Beelzenef doll. "Uh, thanks." I put the cloaks on and the cat puppet on my hand, arching my eyebrows sardonically. Good thing the hood was well over my eyes.

"Um…Nekozawa, we don't want to join your club in part…We just needed a warm place to hold our meeting. You see, the Filmmakers club—or Film Society—fails to have a proper meeting hall so…we were stuck outside, conducting our matters in the bitter snow!" Soga added on in sorrow.

"…I like the snow…" Ueda mumbled to himself.

"Yeah, so do I! What if we wanna be out in the snow huh?" Fujita argued. He didn't like being in the same room with the dippety-do host club. Especially since his rival was in there.

Soga and I loomed over Ueda and Fujita respectively and told them our commands. "We're staying in here."

"Y-yes Lady Soga…" Ueda apologized and complied with his president's requests.

However, Yukio wasn't as easy to deal with. "I'll do it for a hug, Saranson." I huffed and shoved him out of the door. "Who needs him, anyways? We can have the meetin' without him…"

"Um…Saranson-chan? Fujita's in charge of all the equipment…"

I nearly had forgotten. The Fujita family is known for its dominance in the field of electronic devices, and has loyally supplied us with audio visual equipment in the past.

Tamaki approached us inside of the dark closet, a bit frightened and making sure not to step on anything he shouldn't. "How about you all spend time with us? We don't bite."

Fujita was about to make a smart remark, but I shot him a sharp glare.

Soga-chan, however, was duped into staying. And since she was club president, the rest of us had to do as she wished. "Oh kohai, I'd be pleased to stay." She glanced at all of us. "And so would the rest of the Film society, correct?"

We all nodded together. Soga-chan could easily bash our skulls in if we made her angry.

"So I directed and filmed a movie just recently. I enlisted the rest of the Film Society to take part as the cast." Tamaki nodded as he listened to Rika discuss her recent projects. "Oh? What is it about?" Soga leaned back in the sofa and crossed her legs in a nonchalant manner. "The movie itself is untitled. But it's about a young girl struggling in her life with loss, love, and life. It's touching, in a way."

Ueda-kun wasn't with the rest of us, but was in the Dark magic closet with Nekozawa. I think he was interviewing sempai about his love for the dark arts.

Fujita and I were in the company of Honey and Mori. Yukio obviously had taken one look at Takashi and instantly they were at it—round two of the Silent Staring Contest between Men.

"Those two are something else, hmm Honey-sempai?" I sighed, taking a small bite out of cake.

"Yeah." He picked off a small strawberry. "I think Takashi is being silly, and needs to take action."

"What do you mean?"

"He obviously fancies someone, eh?"

"I never thought of that…" I took a drink of tea to warm up my body. Perhaps he really did.

----

"Thank you very much." We all thanked the host club (and Nekozawa) for use of their facility and filed out. "I'll see you guys later, I have to go somewhere."

I ran down flights of stairs and out of the doors into the courtyard before it started to snow again. "Good, still kind of dry…" I said to myself as I took Yukio's jacket out of the snow and folded it neatly. Taking it and throwing his coat in the show wasn't exactly the nicest thing to do; especially in the winter when he could catch cold. I then remembered to hurry to lunch, so I took his jacket and put it in my locker.

Although, I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched. I looked up and saw a silhouette in the window…I wondered who it could be.

----

Today, I ate my lunch with Soga-chan and Ueda-kun. Fujita was nowhere to be seen.

"Are you two dating, Soga?" I asked as I spooned my food around on my plate.

Ueda shrugged. "I don't know. Are we?"

"I thought we were." Rika shrugged. I sighed, these two weren't any help. "I guess you're not then…"

"Hey, are you going to the host club's Christmas party?" Rika was quick to change the subject. "I don't know. If I can find something nice to wear, then maybe I'll go. Why?"

"I felt a certain aura around one of the hosts…I can't explain it…But you should attend, just in case." Ueda advised me as he downed his third fish mint veggie juice. "Be on your toes."

"Aye aye, Ueda-kun." I sparked a smile. Maybe I would attend.

"Yo!" Fujita waved to us with his sleeved again rolled up to his elbow, and looking a bit more messy than usual. "What's up you guys?"

"Eating lunch. Where have you been?"

"I was lookin' for my coat. I think someone took it. Oh well. It's not like I really wore the thing…" Yukio pulled up a seat and sat with us. It was too late for him to buy a lunch, but I didn't think he was hungry.

"We were just talking about the host club's Christmas party. Saranson and I are going, right?"

"…Yeah. I'll be there, Soga-chan."

Fujita seemed a bit irked at this and was about to object to it until Ueda stopped them. "Don't worry about those women. It's just some event where those hosts woo them for one night. They worst they could do is kiss her. So don't worry about it, Saranson'll be fine."

"She better be…If anything happens…" Yukio started off, but couldn't finish.

"I'll be sure to place a curse on whomever's responsible, Yukio." Ueda smiled.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." He stood up and sighed to himself. "I'm going to go outside. Maybe I'll play kick the can or something…" Yukio grabbed a can of guava juice and chugged it, hoping to calm down. He waved to us one last time, and then faded away in the distance.

I may not have heard their complete conversation, but one thing was certain. There was something troubling on Fujita Yukio's mind as he left the Film Society's table that winter day.

* * *

**A/N: **I said I wasn't going to make Soga and Ueda major characters, but this one was kind of essential to have them involved. Also, Yukio needed to have other friends, so Ueda and Yukio are obviously close (addressing by the first name). Chapter Seven was kind of filler; I didn't want to just jump into Christmas after Halloween, so I had Hanako's birthday fall in November. The next chapter might be kind of dramatic, so hold on tight, fair readers! 


	9. Custard Pies and Christmas Lights

"You look adorable, dear!" My mom gawked over me, all dressed up and ready to go.

I spun around and looked at myself in the mirror. I had bought a thin-strapped purple velvet dress for the occasion. The dress was printed with black velvet roses, and around my waist was a large black satin bow. The hemline ended just beneath my knee, and under the skirt were panniers to fluff up the dress. I wore matching gloves with lace on the edges and a pair of low heels. My dark hair was pulled up in to two buns with long strands of white ribbon added for decoration. Instead of my electric pink glasses, a sleeker pair of silver frames replaced them for the event tonight. Finally, around my neck was my 'good luck charm'—Takashi's medallion, and inside of it was a picture of Morinozuka himself.

"Yeah, I suppose so." I said, looking at myself again. "I better get going, before I'm late."

"Don't have too much fun, Hanako!" My mother laughed and waved goodbye to me as I drove off in the backseat of our limousine. I had to do to just as Ueda told me—be on my toes. The fate of night rested on my shoulders.

----

"Welcome, miss, to the Ouran High School Host Club Christmas Party!" Tamaki greeted me with a smile. "I see my daughter has decorated herself to be true to her name."

"Hana-chan's roses are pretty!" Honey chimed. "Ah." Mori stated.

"Thank you. I, uh, guess I'm going to eat now, then…" I scuttled away to the food. And wow, these kids can really throw a party.

There was a large array of food spread out on the tables, but I didn't want to overeat; lest I burst out of this dress. Instead, I got a small plate of pastries. "Hey, Soga!" I noticed her standing out in the crowd. She was a lofty student, just less than six feet tall. Her unnatural orange hair lay down on her shoulders and her bangs were tucked behind her ears with the aid of pearl barrettes. Her gown was simple; a little strapless silk smooth gown the color of candlelight. Adorning her thin neck was a lace and pearl choker to match her hairpins. "Yo, Saranson-chan. Gawd, you're adorable…"

Even though she and Ueda-kun had some sort of a 'more than friends less than a couple' relationship; Soga Rika loved being in the company of pretty girls. It wasn't that she was considered ugly herself, or it was her preference; she just enjoyed the atmosphere. Sometimes, she would even film them.

"Even on a classy occasion like this you've got to talk like that, huh Soga?"

"Well I reckon so." She took a glass in her hand and sipped her drink. "But anyways, are you enjoying yourself?"

"I guess so. I kinda just got here."

"Oh. I'll go get you something to eat, then. Your plate's empty." Rika offered me.

I didn't object to that.

As my sempai walked off to the food again, I took the time as an opportunity to catch up with Morinozuka. Maybe I could even steal a dance…

Soon, I found myself lost in a swarm of girls.

----

"Guh, it's like a big sea of fan girls…" I worked my way through the crowd until I found my way out of the ballroom and into a corridor of the school. "And being in school at night is weird too…"

There was always a bunch of rumors of the creepy things that went on in a school at night. I myself don't like scary stories; in result I'm easy to spook.

"Flower chiiiiiild…Fufufufufu…" I felt a cold hand on my bare shoulder, and with the contact on my skin I got goose bumps allover. I cried out in shock and fear as I turned around to see the shadowed face of…

…Soga Rika with one hand on my shoulder and one carrying a dish of egg custards.

"Jeez Soga! You scared me!" I caught my breath and took one of the small custard pies and placed it into my mouth, chewing on it nervously.

"Ha, you deserved it Saranson-chan. You ditched me." She took a rubber band from her wrist and pulled back her hair. I could tell she had the urge to wear her hair back in that haphazard ponytail as she always did. "What are you doing running around the campus at night anyways?"

I shifted from foot to foot. "I was taking a look around, and I got lost."

"That's hard to believe, but okay." She leaned down and looked me in the eye. I stared right back at her. "Well, let's get going. Can you see alright?" She took out her mobile phone and flipped it open, illuminating the small radius around us.

"Going where? What the heck are you talking about?"

"You got yourself lost. Might as well make the best of the situation, hmm kid?"

I looked at her as if she was insane. Soga's always been so reckless. Her black pupils sparkled with adventure. This _was _her last year after all; she might as well make the most of it.

"Yeah. Might as well."

Rika chuckled and lead the way into the dim halls of the Ouran Private Institute after dark; which lead to hours of pointless wandering.

----

"Sempai?"

"Yeah?"

"What's that light up ahead?" I pointed into the direction of a classroom among many with their lights on.

"It's a classroom, duh." She laughed quietly and motioned me to silence myself as well. "Let's go see what the commotion is about."

We both tip toed over to the illuminated classroom and peeked through a crack in the door.

"She's so cute…." Soga sighed contentedly as she saw the petite figure of an unfamiliar student with eyes the size of baby worlds.

Was that Fujioka in that wig?

"Yeah, she's darling." I said in reply.

I felt someone's eyes fixed upon us; as if they'd discovered a surprise. "Move, Soga." I shot a sharp glance in her direction, and she moved out of the way before the door swung open in my face.

"Saranson Hanako." Ohtori stated my name as I narrowed my eyes to adjust to the light. "Y-yes sir?"

This little romp had gone on far enough—I had just crossed the Shadow King.

"What did you see?" He asked me in a calm manner.

"I saw this girl, that's all." I didn't want to mention names; Soga might not have gotten away, and I didn't want to involve her in the heap of trouble I might have walked right into.

"Come in, and close the door behind you."

----

"Go to the classroom. You don't want to be late." Kyoya ordered the maiden, and she left with a nod as she closed the door behind her.

I took a seat in a desk and took a look around. "What's going on here?"

It was a meeting of sorts. Kyoya was still dressed in his fancy attire, as well as Kaoru and Hikaru, but I'm sure that girl I saw was Haruhi in drag.

No, no, she's a girl. I nearly had forgotten.

"We're playing matchmaker!" Hikaru and Kaoru answered my question in a sing-song voice. "Check out this love letter we composed, it's really good." The red head handed me a piece of lined paper, a rough draft of sorts. I read it out loud.

"My love…just thinking of you smashed my heart to pieces like a scene in a tornado. I badly want to fall in love with you. Let's rendezvous on Noah's ark."

I kept in my giggles as I set the note down. "You think this is really going to work? The letter itself is totally unlike Haruhi. That was Haruhi in that wig, right?"

Kyoya nodded. "The thing is; that's not the Haruhi that the boy knows. That Haruhi is a girl." A ray of light hit the shadow king's glasses, illuminating the lenses.

Disturbing.

"Don't tell, it's a secret!" The Hitachiins warned me. "Don't worry, boys. Hanako will keep our little secret, won't you?"

I gulped and nodded. That guy was scary.

"Now scurry along, Hanako. You don't want to miss the night's festivities."

"Right, I don't want to miss the anything at all…Good-bye."

Still dazed up by Kyoya, I ambled down the hallways looking for Soga. She tried to spook me again; but this time I wasn't so phased. "Hey Soga."

"Well look who's not a crybaby anymore. What just happened in here?" She took the last custard from her plate and chomped it down. "I couldn't hear anything through the door. You okay?"

"A little shaken up, but I'm fine." I straightened out the panniers through my skirt. "Let's get going, I don't want to miss the last song." I dragged Rika along and eventually we found ourselves back in the ballroom.

----

"It's a shame, really."

"A crying shame, Soga-chan…" I sighed and looked at all of the hosts occupied with the various ladies, and a brown headed boy dancing with the Kasugazaki girl from 2-B. "I didn't get a chance to earn any points, so I don't get the last dance…"

"Or a kiss from Suoh-kohai." Soga added in.

"Yeah, that too." I said listlessly. A kiss from Tamaki-sempai didn't really impress me much. All I wanted was a dance from Morinozuka, and now I'm sitting here sipping punch.

Rika glanced over at me with concern. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Eh, I suppose."

She took my hand in hers. I never really noticed until then, but Soga's naturally square fingernails were nice and pretty well kept. Did she get manicures on a regular basis…? "Would you like to dance, Hanako?"

I blinked twice and stood up, taking the floor with my senior. She was taller than I was and had a gallant air around her. Even if I didn't dance with Takashi Morinozuka that holiday night, I got the next best thing.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay! Here in this chapter Soga Rika's character was explored into a bit more, so now she's less of a recurring minor character to a supporting role. She tends to add on a "-kohai" title when she refers to Tamaki, which is used when addressing someone in school that is in a lower year than you. Thank you very much for reading along this far! 


	10. Handmade Hearts

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, ect ect. Nor do I own the song "Happy People".

* * *

That day I kind of wanted to be late for club this morning to sleep in, even though the weather was starting to warm up a little. That was a good thing for us; we weren't able to get an indoor headquarters. "So, so, what is the order today? Are we going inside to find a warm place to stay?" 

"I'm warm enough, so I'll stay we stay out here!" Soga confirmed. Around her body was her hand-me-down sweater, keeping her safe from the cold. As always, Ueda-kun was wearing his hooded cloak with the hood over his head. "I agree with Lady Soga." He nodded in agreement.

"I think that it's hearty weather outside!" Fujita cackled as he took off the coat that I returned to him on that snowy day around Christmas.

"How you never catch cold is beyond me, Fujita." I rolled my eyes in his direction. He just guffawed back at me.

"You're forgetting, Saranson. You're forgetting what day it is." He chuckled to himself. "I'm feeling that this is my lucky day."

What day was it?

February the fourteenth, of course. I'd know myself; my mother had helped me make homemade chocolate treats last night after she got home.

"You know what, Fujita?" I stood up and said in a quick-tempered tone of voice. He started to flinch a little, but tried to stand strong. "Y-yeah? What?"

"I have a feeling today is my lucky day too."

----

"I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late…" I talked to myself as a walked in a sped up manner down the hallways. I was supposed to meet up with the host club today, and I had to be an hour early to bake cookies before lunch started. This time, Tamaki insisted on the commoner's cookie saying that it had 'reached perfection'. So I had to pick up some pre-made heart shaped cookies for the day's events. In my opinion, it was bad enough that the members received a mass amount of chocolate this year; and the king demanded cookies as well.

I knocked twice and entered the room, shuffling into the kitchen. "Hey guys." I greeted them limply as I made my way inside.

"You look dead tired, flower child!!" Tamaki rushed to my side from his current task—plucking the petals off roses for the club's opening later on today. "Were you up all night buying chocolates for your daddy?"

"Hanako," I corrected him. I was so not in the mood right now. "And no, I wasn't getting chocolates for my father."

The king went back to his throne and took a rose in his hand. He didn't have chocolate from either of his 'daughters', and that fact rung in his head as he lazily picked off more rose petals and put them in a bowl.

"Hana-chan, did you buy chocolates for anyone special?" Haninozuka asked me curiously. Always accompanying him, Takashi stood by his cousin's side. "Hmm?"

"Oh, no. I didn't." I placed the cookies an inch apart on a sheet pan. "I made them last night." The oven chimed, alerting me that the cookies were ready to bake. "I'm going to be kind of busy today, though." I said placing the pan inside of the hot oven and setting the timer for forty-five minutes. "Call me when they're ready." I called out to the club as I drifted out to the dining hall.

----

"You're about to fall asleep in your salad, Hanako." Rika said to remind me.

"Uh, sorry." I picked at my leafy green lunch and sighed. "So did you get anyone chocolates, Soga?"

She chewed her food around in her cheek. "Yeah, extra dark." She showed me a candy bar wrapped in an attractive deep purple wrapper. "It's eighty-five percent cacaos. That's some dark stuff."

I arched my eyebrows. "Seems like Ueda-kun takes his chocolate dark, just like everything else." I pictured Ueda-kun taking off the hood of his robe and rolling up his sleeves to dig in to a large bar of extra-dark chocolate. In fact, I've never seen him without that robe on. Soga said that she has seen hi. His wrists are pretty small, and he's dark headed with different eye colors—one's blue and one's green. She's told me he's really fair-faced; in the feminine way rather than the pale way, similar to Haruhi. You can stick him in a dress and no one would notice a difference.

"Did you call?" He suddenly appeared behind us, standing straight up rather than hunched over. He's evenly as tall as Rika is, hmm.

"Uh, no." I said in reply, a little disturbed by his sudden appearance.

Ueda set down his cans of fish mint veggie juice and sighed. "Umehito-sempai got chocolates from a few girls, today. They looked tasty, but I wonder if they pigment your skin if you eat too many."

I coughed.

Fujita joined our table. "I got quite a few chocolates myself! I didn't know I had that many admirers…" He chugged a can of guava juice. "Hey, Saranson, you look tired. Want a sip?" He shook the can in front of my face, and I felt like batting it away. "It always charges me up for the day. It's really good for ya too!" I was about to take up his offer when he had to open his big mouth and ruin it. "You know, since I took a sip out of it, if you take a drink it will be like we're kissing! Not like we haven't before…"

I stared at him with fierce intensity. "I'll just get some coffee." With that said I rose up and left the table to get a cup of black coffee.

"You just had to blow it, didn't you Yukio? Idiot…" Ueda slapped him upside the head. "You're like a little kid. Think before you talk."

"Hey, hey, no need to be harsh…" He groaned at his best friend. "You're not exactly mister convey-your-feelings yourself…" He said under his breath.

In the midst of all of this, Soga got bored with the conversation and was listening to her mp3 player. "Happy people in the house…" She sang along with the upbeat tune.

"Mmm…" I returned with a fine mug filled with black coffee that made me feel a bit less cranky. "That's better." I inhaled the invigorating aroma coming from my mug. "I better get going. I have people to see, cookies to prepare, and chocolate to give out…" I notified everyone, taking the mug with me as I left the Film Society lunch table and ambled over to my locker to get my backpack, and as I did I played around with the panda key ring I had gotten as a gift from Yukio.

----

As I sat down on a bench in the courtyard that early evening, many thoughts raced through my mind. Some of which included:

What will I say?

What will I do?

How is he going to react?

How am I going to react?

Will I be crushed?

"I got your message." A tall, dark figure stood in front of me, holding a small yellow note from my stationary set. Morinozuka.

"I've had feelings for you, Takashi-sempai, for a while now."

"Yes, I've seen." He stated, knowing the whole time. Was I that easy to read?

"For you. I made it last night, with help from my mother." I gave him a small heart shaped box and he took with a small smile.

A cold, dead silence rolled into the courtyard. There were small patches of snow scattered across the yard, and in this bitter scene my heart pounded fast with anticipation for his response.

"…Thank you." He opened up the book and held the heart shaped chocolate in his hand. Then, he broke it in two equally and took a bite of one half.

I looked him in the eye, and I felt frozen. "No, thank you sempai." I bowed my head before he could see the tears welling up in my eyes. I was about to walk away when I stopped in my tracks.

"…May I have the other half of that chocolate heart?"

----

The sun was setting in the sky, giving off a series of red lights in the sky. As the rays shone through the windows, I roamed the halls of the Ouran Institute lifelessly with my head down. My school shoes were still on; my unauthorized school backpack on my back; and wrapped in a silk scarf was my broken heart.

Perhaps I should have waited. Confessing your love for someone on Valentine's Day is clichéd anyways, and it's all just a marketing scheme so you can buy more chocolates.

Come to think of it, the true declaration of feelings in my opinion is on White Day. I wondered: if I got something from the heart in return from him, would my feelings for Takashi be mutual?

I've heard that Morinozuka takes the chocolates from his admirers as his gentle way of not returning his feelings.

Replacing the old thoughts passing through my head was worry, and I was so caught up with it that I didn't watch were I was going.

"Saranson…" A male voice spoke my name with concern. "What are you doing here so late? You okay?"

I didn't bother to look up. Instead I rested my head on his chest and sighed, letting the tears stream down my face in silence. The boy put an arm around me in solace as I sobbed gently.

"Poor thing…" He said to himself as we stood there in the corridor with the sunset's radiance shining down on us. "How about I walk you home, huh?"

----

He took me up to the door, and put a hand on my shoulder. I still stared down at my feet. "Are you going to be all right?"

I nodded slowly in response, and he made his way down the steps. "Wait!" I called out to the student, and he turned to look at me. After digging though my backpack, I took out a soft, pink silk cloth tied up at the corners. He caught it in his hands as I tossed it to him; and I watched him unwrap it, holding the unmarked half of the chocolate heart in the palm of his hand.

"Thanks for everything." I smiled softly in his direction.

"Hanako…"

"Happy Valentine's Day, Fujita."

And in the end, like always, Yukio got what he wanted.

* * *

**A/N: **Yes, this is the dramatic climax of the story! Next will be the finale of 'Project Flower Child' and it takes place a month from now, on White Day. Will Mori return Hanako's feelings; or will it be too late? And what about Fujita Yukio? All answers to be revealed in the final chapter… 


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